Announcement One: This may be be a long class today. I will try very hard not to go past our "early release" time, but in case I do, please feel free to bring a snack or lunch to tide you over.

Announcement Two: Education MAJORS: Remember to upload a clean copy of your syllabus/newsletter/letter to families to Livetext. Don't wait for me to grade this assignment. Do not upload your rubric.

Effective classroom discipline...should be a means of helping students become caring, ethical individuals" (Hardin, 2008, p. 147).

Essential Question: How can I create a classroom environment to make it as inviting as possible for my students?

TO PREPARE FOR OUR CLASS THIS WEEK, DO THE FOLLOWING:


1. Read your assigned chapter (see below) in How to Talk So Kids Can Learn at Home and in School PRIOR to our class session. As you read the chapter, jot down (handwrite) on the Study Cards (the template is below) important information and ideas about your assigned chapter that you feel should definitely be shared with the members of your PLC. You might include your thoughts about how you think the chapter concepts could be best taught (i.e., which delivery mode you'd like to use). At the end of class, you will turn in your study cards to me.


Thursday Class at 7:30-10:00:
Name of PLC
Assigned Chapter
Smells Like Team Spirit (Orange folder)
Chapter One
Fantastic Four (Green folder)
Chapter Two
English Warriors (Red folder)
Chapter Three
Fierce 4 (Dark blue folder)
Chapter Four
The Little Guys (Turquoise folder)
Chapter Five
SNNaK (Yellow folder)
Chapter Six
Imagination igKnighters (Purple folder)
Chapter Seven
The Muppets (White folder)
Chapter Eight
Thursday Class at 10:30-1:00:
Name of PLC
Assigned Chapter
The Allies (dark blue folder)
Chapter One
Art Educators with a Colorful Mission (Yellow folder)
Chapter Two
The Astral Linguistics (Purple folder)
Chapter Three
Elementary Educators (Dark blue folder)
Chapter Four
Young Knights (Green folder)
Chapter Five
The Great Educators (Turquoise blue folder)
Chapter Six
Red folder
Chapter Seven
XLR8! (Orange folder)
Chapter Eight

2. CHECKING FOR UNDERSTANDING - CHECKING FOR UNDERSTANDING STRATEGY: Check out the websites and handout below on Checking for Understanding strategies. For your Chapter presentation (see #1 above) and your Checking for Understanding assignment, describe a way to briefly check your peers' understanding at the end of your presentation. Describe it so you can share it with your PLC and turn it in to me. As always, this assignment is to be typed.
http://www.teachthought.com/teaching/27-simple-ways-check-understanding/
http://daretodifferentiate.wikispaces.com/file/view/strategies.pdf.
http://teacher-strategies.wikispaces.com/Checking+for+Understanding+Strategies
http://www.theteachertoolkit.com/index.php/tool/category/C7

Here is a handout with additional Checking for Understanding strategies:


ASSIGNMENTS DUE IN CLASS THIS WEEK:


1. Checking for Understanding Activity - Checking for Understanding Strategy
2. Letter, Newsletter, OR Syllabus. Students will compose a communication to the families of their future students. This assignment will take the form of a letter, newsletter, or syllabus. The communication should explain how the teacher will build a climate for learning, including class rules and his/her classroom management plan. It should also include the items listed on the corresponding rubric. This assignment is to be submitted with the appropriate rubric. Secondary majors will create a syllabus. Elementary majors will write a letter or newsletter. K-12 majors, depending on the grade level they wish to eventually teach, will create a syllabus or newsletter/letter. The appropriate rubric (see below) is to be STAPLED to this document prior to being submitted for evaluation.
You may absolutely include additional components (such as Extra Credit, tutoring, etc.) that are not listed in the rubric below. The more components you include, the less you will have to add when you become a teacher. Think of what you think might be important to you as a future teacher.

CAVEATS:
a. If you use parts of a teacher's syllabus, letter, or newsletter for this assignment, give them proper credit AT THE END OF THIS ASSIGNMENT.
b. Do not assume that there are no grammatical, spelling, or typographical errors in teachers' documents. Check them over for accuracy.

Syllabus to Families/Guardians RUBRIC - Secondary Level


Letter/Newsletter/Syllabus to Families/Guardians RUBRIC - Elementary Level


EDUCATION MAJORS ONLY: Upload a clean copy of the Letter/Newsletter/Syllabus (without the rubric) to Livetext. The rubric does not need to be uploaded. You do not need to wait for me to grade this assignment before uploading it to Livetext. This assignment is to be uploaded to Livetext the same day (or prior to the day) the assignment is due in class. Failure to meet the uploading deadline will result in losing half of the points of the total assignment.


MATERIALS TO BRING TO CLASS THIS WEEK:


Study cards you created when you read your assigned chapter and the book How to Talk So Kids Can Learn at Home and in School.
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THIS WEEK'S CLASS AGENDA:


1. When our class meets, each PLC is to convene immediately to discuss highlights of its assigned chapter.
2. Each PLC is to prepare a presentation highlighting the information in your assigned chapter that you feel would be the most helpful for your peers as future teachers. Each PLC will also vote on which activity to check for understanding (remember, each PLC member had to bring in a way to check for understanding for this week's Checking for Understanding activity) they will use at the end of the presentation. You will be given 45 minutes to prepare. You may use any presentation medium you would like: (a) chart paper and markers, (b) interactive white board,(c) PowerPoint, (d) Prezi, or (e) Glog.

3. You may use any delivery mode you would like: direct teach, indirect teach, debate, discussion, role playing, simulation, game, etc.

4. Each PLC will teach the information to the class. Each PLC will be given a maximum of 10 minutes to teach the information.